J.League Preview: Sanfrecce, Yokohama F.Marinos set for home fixtures

J.League table-toppers Sanfrecce Hiroshima will look to bounce back from their first defeat in seven matches when they host Jubilo Iwata on Saturday.

Sanfrecce – who are the defending champions and lead the league by one point – saw their six-match winning streak come to an end at Urawa Red Diamonds last week.

Hajime Moriyasu’s side were outplayed in the 3-1 defeat and will be desperate to atone for their slip-up at the first opportunity.

With the third-placed Urawa just two points off the pace, and Omiya Ardija, who are fourth, a further point back, Sanfrecce can ill-afford another defeat.

They will be hopeful top scorer Hisato Sato – who has scored 13 goals in 19 league matches – can hit the back of the net against a poor Jubilo Iwata side who have won just twice in the league this season.

Jubilo have not won in their last four matches and last won an away fixture in September last year.

In one of the other eight matches on Saturday, Yokohama F. Marinos – who are second – are also at home as they welcome the visit of Sagan Tosu.

Yokohama are unbeaten in their last four league fixtures and defeated Manchester United 3-2 in a friendly last month.

Brazilian forward Marquinhos has also scored 13 goals this season and the 37-year-old is currently in a rich vein of form, having netted in his last five matches.

Sagan Tosu have also been poor on their travels, with the 15th-placed side having won just one away fixture in the current campaign.

Urawa will hope to quell the surging momentum of Nagoya Grampus when they hit the road.

Nagoya, the 2010 J.League champions, sit 11th in the ta
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ble but have won four fixtures in a row.

That is largely thanks to the form of strikers Josh Kennedy and Keiji Tamada, who have both scored four goals in their last four fixtures.

Nagoya are still having problems at the back though, and have not kept a clean sheet in their last 13 league fixtures.

Omiya Ardija will look to reverse a form slump of four successive losses when they host Cerezo Osaka while Kashima Antlers are on the road to last season’s runners-up, Vegalta Sendai.

Other fixtures will see Kawasaki Frontale play FC Tokyo, Shimizu S-Pulse battle Shonan Bellmare, Ventforet Kofu take on Albirex Niigata and bottom-placed Oita Trinita face Kashiwa Reysol.